Security Is In The Details
Sunday, July 26, 2009 23:08
It was a beautiful summer day this week so I decided to take my oldest two children to an amusement park near our home. They had been wanting to go there all summer, and it was a perfect day for it, not too hot but warm enough to enjoy the water park as well as the many amusement rides. Since we arrived a few minutes before they were to open, I looked at their security setup at the main entrance. It looked impressive with everyone being funneled through three checkpoints, all of which had walk-through metal detectors, security officers who searched all bags, and other security officers with hand-held metal detectors. As we took our turn through the security checkpoint, they had us go through the walk-through metal detector and then searched a backpack that one of my sons had brought with him. It appeared that security was pretty good at this amusement park. As the day progressed, though, I found that looks can be deceiving.
Security Issues
Later on in the afternoon, we left the park to eat a picnic lunch at the car. On the way out of the park, they stamped our hand with an ink that you could only detect under a black light. We ate and then came back into the park with a backpack with all of our swimwear so we could enjoy the water park. This is where it gets interesting! Upon returning to the park entrance, the employees looked at our hand under the black light and then let us reenter the park. Anything missing here? We did have to go through the walk-through metal detector to reenter. The main issue, however, was that no one paid any attention when we set off the metal detector on re-entry, and no one searched the backpack that I had brought in or the one they had searched earlier that my son had on his back. We could have been carrying almost anything in our backpacks when we returned to the park and no one would have noticed.
When we first entered the park that morning, I set off the walk-through metal detector because of the keys which I already had in my hand. I showed the security officer the keys, and they just waved me on through, never questioning it nor stopping me to take a closer look with the hand-held metal detector. Then, again that afternoon, they did not pay any attention to me when I set off the walk-through metal detector when reentering the park.
One other issue I noticed that day while walking around the park was the fencing and concrete block walls enclosing the park. Concertina wire or what most people call razor wire was installed on top of a lot of the fencing and concrete walls. This can be good security, but park officials had missed some of the details. While relaxing in an eating area, I observed that above the table area, there was a decorative pergola or arbor made from wood planks. It was nice and also provided partial shade when siting in the area. The security issue was that the pergola extended above the razor wire and out past the concrete wall. It would not take much for someone to climb or jump up from the outside and grab one of the wood planks and then climb over not only the wall but the razor wire that was protecting the top of the wall.
It is in the Details!
The purpose of me telling you the story of our trip to an amusement park is not to bore you with details of our day. It is to point out that, even if you do not own an amusement park, security usually breaks down in the small details, not the overall security effort of a business. Even though you may think that your security is adequate, slow down and take a second look by observing your security from the perspective of the criminal and see what details are lacking.
Security is a continuous process. Take a close look at it periodically to see if you can see security details that may need improved or changed. In almost all cases I have seen in which security was beaten, in physical security as well as computer security, it is usually some small detail that allowed a crime or loss to take place. It is kind of like when you are in a retail store in which there is electronic article surveillance (EAS), you know the ones that set off the alarm when you walk out of the store if the tag was not removed or deactivated. It looks and sounds impressive, but if no one takes action when the alarm goes off, someone will beat your security. The list can seem endless, but take a walk through your business. Observe the details carefully to see where your security fails.
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